Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Matt Seymour on January 07, 2011, 06:29:07 pm
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Hi guys,
I'm putting my carpet cleaning gear up for sale on Ebay and can't make my mind up what to set the reserve at.
It's a 400 psi Ninja with heater/thermostat, 2 x 25ft hoses with connecting piece, twin jet wand, upholstery tool (that needs attention) pressure sprayer and various other smaller spray bottles, pile brush, carpet rake, buckets, hundreds of foil protectors for sticking under furniture, terry towels and quite a lot of chemicals too.
Machine is good overall condition, a few scuffs on it and I've just had the pump serviced and both mains power leads replaced.
Any suggestions? I've seen them go for all kinds of money.
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no reserve, you will get more interest and it will create a bidding war, a high start auction puts initial bidders off, fact.
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Break it up and get more for it.
Shaun
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Yes but sometimes it can go for alot less than what its potentially worth if at the time there's not much interest. Maybe put a reserve on it, then if it isn't met I think you can give a second chance offer to the highest bidder. I couldn't value your gear though.
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I don't want to put it on with no reserve. Way too risky. It would be just my luck if it didn't even make a grand.
Need to sell it in a hurry as well, so can't be doing with breaking it up and selling things separately.
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the machine will hit about £900 unless its in excellent condition and an extra £100 for the rest.
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I've seen them go for a lot more than that Mike.
Well over £1500
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If you spend time doing a good description with lots of info you would get nearer 1500, be sure to compare it to the new price.
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New price of a similar, but slightly higher spec, is about £2500 isn't it?
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How big an area do you cover? If its big enough I'd sell it all as a oner.
Sell it as a business not as used equipment!
You have a business name and website too thats got value.
You'll get more this way.
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Good luck mat.
Have you had a go on selling it on here mate on the for sale section.
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I did consider doing that, but it would be a bit awkward.
The website is built on Moonfruit, so it's a bit difficult to pass that on as I use the same account for other websites and the van isn't worth anything. Poxy thing has just started falling to bits.
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Good luck mat.
Have you had a go on selling it on here mate on the for sale section.
Offers are more than welcome, but I think I will get more for it on Ebay.
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Would take the machine off you but your a bit far :-\
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I had to drive all the way from Portsmouth to Bolton when I bought it. ;D
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Rule of thumb-for assets of this nature, look for between 10 and 30% of value. Of course you have the advantage of not having any selling costs to worry about so possibly towadrs the top-end of this ball-park figure.
Of course, value is in the eye of the beholder.
Rog
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So drive back and I will buy it then ;D
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http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=330516692718
Well at least you've got a bid on it now.
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Already been offered £1500 for it too.
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Maybe take that if your happy with it.
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Are you giving up CC?
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Yep, giving up.
Too much competition and prices going down all the time. I am earning peanuts and I am not enjoying it anymore either.
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Hi Matt,
What are you doing instead of carpet cleaning, do you have something lined up ?
regards
steve
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Have you considered keeping your gear and doing it in addition to whatever you move onto?
You may find that not being so dependant on the revenue would ease pressure on you and the rates you have to charge. You could then start to build a proper customer base and maybe in time move back into this full time.
For the sake of the £1500 or so you're going to get for the gear it must be worth a shot.
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I am starting a transport/distribution company. That is the background I am from and where I feel more comfortable.
I can't say that I enjoy carpet cleaning. It was OK for a while, but it's becoming harder and harder to get business and it's not really paying so well.
Can't afford to hang on to the gear really as I need every penny I can get.
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Matt, for almost 21 years I was involved in Contract Logistics on a large scale. I started as a Van Driver at 19, graduated to LGV's then onto Transport Clerk, Transport Supervisor, Transport Manager and finally Logistics Manager.
I have been out of the game since the end of 2007 but I feel pretty sure that it's a hell of a lot more difficult to make money in transport. We ran at a loss on a lot of jobs and margins were considered great if anywhere near 10%.
The cost of fuel and insurance is now right through the roof and I often wonder if there's any money left in it at all, especially for the small firms.
Youy're a braver man than I!
Best of luck.
p.s. I would defo keep your kit. It may well come in useful on days off --- if you get any :-)
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I am only setting up a small scale outfit to begin with.
Mainly removals and things like that and also a leaflet distribtion/marketing company. I have a few contacts in the industry and it all gives me far more strings to my bow than just carpet cleaning.
There is also nowhere near the same level of competition around here as there is for carpet cleaning.
You're right though, couriers in particular are having to work very hard for their money at the moment. In fact, I don't think any particular industry is exactly flourishing right now. It's a tough time for all, but I'd rather take my chances in an industry that I know well than trying to compete with the likes of Enterprise Cleaning for what are fast becoming scraps of work.
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Well you will have to spend a lot more on a Luton type van
Saw white van man on Channel 5 and there was this guy doing light removals think he had several vans on road
Just need to work out how much each van need to make.
think you have a large enough City to have a fleet.
Personally if your Ninjas secondhand in first place I do not think its worth £1500 so good luck if the person pays
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Well you will have to spend a lot more on a Luton type van
Saw white van man on Channel 5 and there was this guy doing light removals think he had several vans on road
Just need to work out how much each van need to make.
think you have a large enough City to have a fleet.
Personally if your Ninjas secondhand in first place I do not think its worth £1500 so good luck if the person pays
As I say I am starting out small and not thinking of fleets of vans at this stage. Something to aim for, but fleets couldn't be further from my mind right now.
One step at a time.
The Ninja is 3 years old, serviced by Ashbys for the first two years of it's life and I've just spent £300 on it so it's in good shape for the next owner. I've seen lower spec models in terrible condition go for more than £1500.
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Hi Matt
I considered setting up a small transport firm when I first knew that I was likely to be made redundant but just couldn't get a plan in place that looked anything like I could make it work. I could have gone Continental as my last year was mainly shipping out to France and Germany, but the rates I used to pay for our Continental stuff made a nonsense of that. I could get a full trailer to most part of Germany for less than £250, this due to having a strong network in place whereby the load to Germany was actually a backload for a German driver and so covered his fuel as he'd made his money coming over here.
It is being done all over but what you really need to do is hook up a small network where you get together with a bunch of similar businesses and cover back loads / tranships etc. Complicated to set up the T & C's and what have you but gives the small business man a chance against the big boys. You could always join one that has already been set up but be very wary of becomung an 'owner driver' with the big boys. You'll be lucky to pull in £20000 a year gross.
Also, try to get in with legal firms. Couriering legal doc's is a real good earner and certainly won't break your back.
I wish you well.
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I believe there is a good living to be made in transport , I have done over 100 jobs last year for Shiply.com , the rates are good , trip to Glasgow and back took 2 days and grossed 1100 quid , with a good van I could have done more. I have people calling me every week asking for things to be moved.
I prefer the cleaning business though
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Woah there Ian! ;D
I am not considering a large outfit shipping to Europe or anything like that. To begin with it's more like your good old fashioned man and van and building from there.
Start with one van on the road and once I have enough work to keep me going I will look to bring in another vehicle and so on. It's a longterm plan that starts off very small.
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Matt
I noticed on your carpet cleaning site that your prices are a on the "good value" side. Nothing wrong with that just saying.
Have you worked out your potential outgoings for the new business? wrote a business plan etc?
Just make sure you charge a good rate and cover yourself! Cheap prices are the killer of many small businesses.
Tony
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very subtle tony! you feeling all right?
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lol I'm not having a go Derek, just stating that its not always best business sense policy to be the cheapest around thats all. I'm sure Matt wont mind me saying.
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Matt,
Maybe you've got to find a real sub niche within the transport business. As Tony says, become a specialist and charge more
For example, in our garden, I saw a crow knocking seven bells out of a knackered racing pigeon. The poor sod couldn't defend itself but I managed to rescue it. I fed it and eventually traced it's owner (it had got blown off course in the gales).
The owner sent a courier to collect it a couple of days later.
I got chatting to him and he explained that he works 100% on collecting / delivering racing pigeons. That's all his company does and he's making a living.
He also explained they were worth anything from a few hundred to tens of thousands of pounds each!
It's got to be worth some research to find a niche like that.
Garry
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Matt,
Maybe you've got to find a real sub niche within the transport business. As Tony says, become a specialist and charge more
Garry
Piano's for example.
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you av it son, i'll play it ;D
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Today I had a call from a shed manufacturer in Sheffield want one to Oxford , and one to winchester £120quid , then one carpet retailer wanting a roll of carpet to southampton £60 . I have a job pending from poole to sheffield , an engine for 65 thats £240 for a days work , less 70 diesel , but if I tried I could take a couple more items north and earn at least anothe 100 . Too bad I cant drive, so wont be doing any of it.
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Jason, sent you an email with regards to shiply.com as I might look into this and could do with some advice.
Cheers
Richard
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Matt
I noticed on your carpet cleaning site that your prices are a on the "good value" side. Nothing wrong with that just saying.
Have you worked out your potential outgoings for the new business? wrote a business plan etc?
Just make sure you charge a good rate and cover yourself! Cheap prices are the killer of many small businesses.
Tony
Hi Tony,
I lowered my prices recently to try and bring in some more work (like a lot of people), but it made no difference.
I was never the most expensive but also not the cheapest either. As it turns out changing my prices made no difference either way.
The new business is a completely different kettle of fish. I don't intend to be the cheapest and I am looking into finding some kind of niche market as Garry suggested. In the first instance I will attempt to offer as many services as humanly possible and just find the right market. There is far more scope than there is in carpet cleaning.
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when you say it made no difference lowering your prices, does that mean you still did the same amount of jobs? in which case, maybe you should of put your prices up to see if that made any diff? just a thought.
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when you say it made no difference lowering your prices, does that mean you still did the same amount of jobs? in which case, maybe you should of put your prices up to see if that made any diff? just a thought.
No, I mean it made no difference in terms of generating enquiries from the web. I didn't have prices on my website originally, but looked at some of the competition's prices that were displayed on their websites and matched or bettered them on my own.
Didn't make any difference at all.
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so when you say no diff, are you saying you got no responce what so ever, or are you saying you still got the same amount of jobs?
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It's fair to say I got no response whatsoever... I also had no response whatsoever when I didn't have the prices on there.
Web enquiries died a death after August and, although I am no longer trading, my website is still online and I still haven't had a single web enquiry since early December.
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arrrr roight, am with ya now ted, a mean mat.
why not for a laugh, put..... "carpet cleaning, one pound" yes thats right ladies and gentlemen, for £1 we will clean any room, with discounts for more rooms"
that way you can actually see if your web site is being viewed by potential custies.
don't worry if you do get a call, just tell them you went out of business for being too cheap.
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;D I like it!
I might as well say I will pay them to let me clean their carpets while they kick me in the nuts at 30 second intervals for all the good it would do.
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;D I like it!
I might as well say I will pay them to let me clean their carpets while they kick me in the nuts at 30 second intervals for all the good it would do.
;D ;D ;D
well theres some out there that will pay good money for that service